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IMPROVEMENT m REPINING PETROLEUM.

V s -PEcIFI cA'I'Io N; TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN; v

Be it known that I, HENRY C. VAN TINE, of the city of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny, andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improved mode of Refining Crude Petroleum or Carbon Oil}, 1

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention consists in an improved mode of refining crude petroleum or carbon oil, hereinafter descrihed, whereby I am enabled to prepare such oils for use for purposes of illumination without the aid of artificial or. fire heat, and without resorting to the process of distillation, ordinarily employed for that purpose. Petroleum y: 3 or carbon oil, in its crude or natural state, contains so much impurity as to render it unfit for use for illuminsting purposes Without first undergoing a process of refining and separation from theoilof the heavy carbons which it contains, and which are capable of solidification. There are also present with these oils in their natural condition, certain very light and highly inflammable substances, such as henzine and gasoline, which, if not separated therefrom, render the use of petroleum for illumination highly dangerous, owing to the danger of explosion; The ordinary method of removing these heavy impurities and lighter substances, is the process of, distillation by means of artificial heat, which serves the double purpose of vaporizingand dissipating the more volatile fluids which render the oil explosive, and of carrying d the oil from the heavy carbons, which are left behind in the still in the shape of a tarry deposit, while the vaporized oil is condensed and preserved in a fluid condition, and afterwards refined. This process of distillation requires the use of artificial heat, obtained usually by setting the stills over furnaces, and the process is consequently attended with great liability to severe accident and loss, owing to the highly inflammable nature of the oil,.and the large amount of gas which is constantly escaping and-mingling with the atmosphere, thereby forming a highly explosive mixture; By my improved process of purification, I entirely dispense with the use of artificial or fire heat, and am enabled to produce an oil suificiently pure for illuminating purposes, of good color,-and freed from the presence of the more volatile and explosive fluids. l y a To enable others skilled in the art to use my invention, I will proceed to explain my improved process. The crude oil is placed in a vessel called an agitator, of any suitable ,constrzicti'on in it may be thoroughly,

stirred to mix with it the chemical ingredients used to cause the separation and precipitation of the heavy impurirics. These ingredients are sulphuric acid, sulphate of zinc, sugar of lead, and bichromate of potash. 1 The proportion of these ingredientswill depend somewhat on the quality and gravity of the oil to be refined,

which varies considerably in different samples; but the proportions may be stated for ordinary kinds of petroleum, as follows: For each barrel of crude petroleum, I use lbs. of sulphate of zinc, 3 lbsfof sugar of lead, 4 lbs. of biclu'omate of potash, and from 4 to lbs. of sulphuric acid. If the oil be 40 degrees gravity, it will j need about 25 lbs. of acid; if from 40 to degrees, about 12 lbs. of acid, and if above 45 degrees, about 8 lbs. of acid, and so on for higher gravities. These ingredients are together thoroughly mixed with the crude oil by agitation, until they are taken up by the oil, which requires about half an hour. During thisp'rocess of mining the chemicals by agitation, the heavy impurities become separated from the oil,and being of greater specific gravity, settle at the bottom of the vessel, in the shape of a tarry mixture, which is drawn of with a large portion of the chemicals used for purification, which, being mixed with the impurities, are thus separated in a great measure from the oil. As soon as this separation is effected, it becomes necessary immediately to neutralize .the acid still remaining in the oil, and to 'efl'ect the further precipitation of the solid impurities and remaining 1 particles of the chemicals used in the preceding stage of the process. The oil being still kept in motion by the agitator, there is addedto it, for each barrel of oil, from fifteen to eighteen pounds of aqua ammonia, and a." a, sufficient quantity of sal soda, caustic soda, and borax, or other equivalent alkalies adapted to neutralize thoroughly p l the remaining acid; This stage of the process requires about twenty minutes, and efi'ect-s a further deposit of impurities and chemicals used, but leaves the oil still muddy in appearance, but lighter in color. The prccip- I itatcd deposit being again drawn oh, the remaining oil is then washed thoroughly with pure water by agitation for about half an hour. The oil is now removed from the vessel in which it was heated, and is run into shallow iron bleaching pans, placed in the open air, or under a roof, so that the air can pass freely overthe surface of 1 the oil. In these pans it is allowed to remain from twenty-four to forty-eight hours until it becomes-clear, a further slight deposit being precipitated during that time. By exposure in these shallow bleaching pans to the atmosphere, the oil becomes clear, and of lighter color; it parts with so much of the remaining volatile fluids as to bc'ablc to stand a fire test of F. or over, and loses in great measure its disagrecable 'o'dor. The oil is thenready to be barteledfor use, and will lie-found equally good for illuminating purposes as oil distilledw'i th artificial heat. I v

Having thlis-described my improvement, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is' v n The refining of petroleum or carbon oil without the aid of artificial heat,- by means of the series of operationshereinhefore described, consisting substantially of the use of sulphuric acid, sulphate of zinc, sugar of lead, and bichromate of potash, or their equivalents, for separating the heavy carbons and impurities, the neutralizing of the acid and washing withwater, combined with the subsequent exposure of the oil thus heated in shallow pans to the action of the atmosphere, substantially in the manner aml for the purposes-hereinbefore described In testimony whereof, I, the said HENRY- C. VAN TINE, have hereunto set my hand in presence of HENRY. C. VAN TINE. Witnesses THOMAS OWSTON, W. BAKEWELL.

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